1520 (June 7) establishment of a short-lived alliance
between Henry VIII and Francis I of France

1522England
invades France
- invasion unsuccessful

1523England
abandons attempted French invasion

1527 Divorce crisis of Henry VIII begins

1530 Henry VII begins the process of breaking with the
papacy
time of internal instability associated with
founding the new church

1534 Church of England established, unrest within England
largely subsided

1542 Renewed warfare with France and Scotland
French landings on the English coast
between1545 and 1546
convince Henry VIII to
begin a massive naval construction program.
Beginning of the modern Royal Navy.
Beginning of the construction of system of
coastal fortifications.

1547 Death of Henry VIII – Begin reign of
Edward IV
Since Edward IV was not of age to rule, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset,
ruled as regent.

1549 Religious/Social Unrest
Duke of Somerset
puts down a Catholic revolt in Devonshire.
Royal forces under John Dudley, Earl of
Warwick, put down a peasant revolt in Norfolk.
Setbacks in wars with France and Scotland
French successful in battle outside Houlogne.
Scottish recapture Haddington.
September – Somerset forced out as regent due to
war setbacks, social unrest,
and noble
dissatisfaction with his liberal ideas.Warwick,
Duke of Northumberland, becomes regent.

1550 Peace with FranceFrance
returns Boulogne to England
for a cash payment.

1553Death of Edward IV
(June 6-19) Insurrection of Northumberland Upon the death of Edward VI,
Northumberland attempted to place his daughter in law, Lady Jane Grey, on the throne
instead of the rightful successor, Edward's sister, Mary.
Northumberland was captured, and Jane was deposed and executed after a reign of nine days.

1553 Beginning of the Reign of Mary I
Re-establishment of Catholicism in England.
Her marriage to Philip of Spain added to
religious unrest,
many English Catholics joined the Protestants
in distrust of Spain
and Spanish Catholicism.

1554 Insurrection in Kent Led by Sir Thomas Wyatt, Sir
Thomas Carew, and the Duke of Suffolk, this was an attempt to prevent
Mary's marriage to Philip. Wyatt was defeated and overpowered while
trying to take London. The
rebellion collapsed and the leaders were executed.

1555 Persecution of Protestants begins

1557 War begins with France Mary's marriage led to
English involvement in Spain's
endemic wars with France

1558 End of Mary I's reign / Start of Reign of Elizabeth I
(sister of Edward VI and Mary I) Elizabeth returns England
to Protestantism, She followed a general policy of avoiding involvement
in major continental wars.

1559England
ends war with France

Intervention in Scotland English forces assist Scots against
Frenchforces in Scotland.
French surrender at Leith in February, 1560.

1562England
sends troops to France
to aid the Huguenots.

1568 Beginning of a period of mounting hostilities
between Spain
and England

1570 Papal Bull declares Elizabeth
excommunicated and deposed

1573 Temporary Rapprochement with Spain.
Ascendancy of the Guise family in France
leads to a temporary reduction of tensions.

1577Alliance
with the NetherlandsRepublic
in their war against Spain,
although Elizabeth did not
declare war against Spain.

1580 Sir Francis Drake completes his circumnavigation
of the World Drake raids Spanish and Portuguese colonies and shipping
along the way.

1585 English military assistance to the Netherlands
Henry Sidney, Earl of Lester, brings an army of 6,000 men to Holland.
Drake's expeditions to the Caribbean An English expedition under Sir
Francis Drake sacked Santo Domingo,
Cartagena, St.
Augustine and carried out numerous other raids
in the West Indies. Expedition ends in 1586.

1587 English army in Netherlands
returns to England
The army performed poorly, and the Earl of Lester died in the field in
the previous year.
(April-June) Drake's Expedition to Cadiz Aware of Spanish plans for the
coming armada, Drake sails into the port
of Cadiz with a fleet of
23ships and destroys 33 Spanish vessels of all sizes.

1588Santa Cruz
dies Admiral Marquis de Santa Cruz,
who was in charge of preparing the Armada, dies on January 30, and was
replaced by Alone Perez de Guzman, Duke of Medina Sidonia, who had no
naval experience.May 20 - The armada leaves Lisbon
(comprised of 20 great galleons,44 armed merchant ships, 23 transports,
35 smaller vessels, 4 galleasses,and 4 galleys.)July 19 - Armada sited off the coast of Lizard
Head by Englishscout vessels.July 20 - Lord Howard of Effingham, commander of the
Englishforces, sets sail with from Plymouth
(34 ships under his command, joinedby 34 under Drake's command, a London
squadron of 30 ships, and an additional30 ships under Lord Henry
Seymour.)July 21 - Spanish lose one ship in engagements off Plymouth.July 23 - No losses on either side as a result of this all
daybattleJuly 25 - Battle of Dorset. The
English are able to replenishtheir ammunition while the Spanish are
not. Spanish head for Calis to replenishstocks and pick up troops.July 26-27 - Armada anchored off Calis, but unable to
obtainsupplies due to the blockade of Bruges
by the Dutch fleet under the commandof Justinian of Nassau.July 28 - English send fire ships into the Spanish fleet,
whichresponds by cutting anchor and traveling up the coast while
suffering heavylosses from English long range fire.July 29-30 - Unfavorable winds keep Spanish fleet from
landinganywhere in the Low Countries. Sedina
Sidonia decides to return to Spainby sailing up through the North
Sea.August 2 - English fleet breaks off its pursuit of the
Armadaand returns to its home ports.August-September - The armada suffers heavy losses as it
makesits way back to Spain,
due to storms, starvation, and thirst. 63 of theoriginal 130 ships
returned to Spain.

1589 4,000 English troops land in Normandy
to aid Henry of Navarre

1591 Small English force lands at St. Malo and Rouen.

1594 Tyrone Rebellion in Ireland Endemic rebellion in
Irelanderupted into full scale war under the leadership of Hugh O'Neil,
Earl ofTyrone.

1596 English troops landed during a raid on Cadiz.

1598 English defeated by Irish at the Battle of Yellow
Ford onthe Blackwater river.

1603Death of
Elizabeth I,End of Tudor
dynasty,beginningof
Stuart dynasty with reign of James I.

English victory Irish-Spanish troops defeated at the Battle of
Kinsale.O'Neil surrenders and is pardoned by James I.

1604 October 24 - Unification of Britain The union of
the crownsof England
and Scotland
eliminated internal frontiers and reduced the needfor a standing army,
which increased parliamentary authority at the expenseof royal
authority.

1605 The Gunpowder Plot the last major Catholic
conspiracy

1624 Involvement in 30 Years War James sends a small
force of1,200 men to the continent to assist Frederick of Prussia and
ChristianIV of Denmark. This army collapses in 1625 due to a lack of
training andsupplies.

1625End of reign of
JamesI, beginning of Charles I's reign

1626 Beginning of the Anglo-French war.

1627 The Duke of Buckingham's expedition to the Isle of
Re, nearLa Rochelle, to support Huguenot forces ended in defeat.

1628 Buckingham assassinated while preparing another
expeditionagainst the French.
May - The Petition of Right listing of
parliamentarygrievances against the king.

1630 November 5 - Peace with France
and Spain

1639 First Bishops' War Scotland
revolts over the impositionof Anglican liturgy into Scottish
Presbyterian services.
June 18 Pacification of Dunse temporary
compromisesettlement

1640 Second Bishops' War hostilities renewed in Scotland
April-May the "Short Parliament" the
Commonsrefuses to grant Charles financial support for the war.
August 28 Scots defeat Charles' forces
atNewburn, Northumberland, and Durham
November - Treaty of Ripon temporary end
tohostilities.
November 3 - the "Long Parliament"
TriennialAct agreed to by Charles I.

1641 October - Outbreak of the Irish War Irish
rebellion breaksout
due to the
distastefor the policies of the Earl of Stratford,
the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
December 1 - Grand Remonstrance Act passedby
Parliament listing the grievances against Charles I.
Abolition of the councilor courts, abolitionof
prerogative taxation, Triennial Bill.

1642 January 3 Charles attempts to arrest 5 leaders in
the Commons,attempt fails.
March - Charles rejects Parliament's attemptto
gain control of army.
June - Parliament raises a 24,000 man army
August - Charles begins to raise his armyat Nottingham

1643 Kings armies have the advantage
Scots invade on the side of Parliament

1659 Richard overthrown by army Rump is restored, but
displeasesthe army

1660 Restoration of the Stuarts - Charles II takes the
throne

1662 Church of England restored

1663 Failure of first Royal attempt to grant religious
toleration

1665 Second Anglo-Dutch War begins
Great Plague final major outbreak

1666 The Great Fire of London

1667 Second Anglo-Dutch War endsMilton's
Paradise Lost published allegoryfor the failed revolution

1672 Third Anglo-Dutch War begins
Failure of second royal attempt to grant
religioustoleration

1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War Ends

1679 The Exclusion Crisis beginning of the Whig and
Tory parties

1685 February 6 - James II takes the throne

1687Newton's
Principia Mathematica published

1688William of Orange
invadesJames II flees the
country

1689 February 13 - William of Orange andMary Stuart
named joint sovereigns of England
by Parliament.
Irish War begins

1690 Battle of the Boyne William III defeats Irish and
Frencharmies

1691 Irish War ends English victory

1694 Bank of England founded
Death
of Queen Mary

1697 Civil List Act Parliament votes funds for the
maintenanceof the royal household.

1699 February Disbanding Act Parliament reduces the
size of theBritish standing army to 7,000 to limit William III's
involvement in continentalwarfare.

1700 Importation of Indian muslin and printed calicoes
is forbidden

1701 June 12 Act of Settlement Parliament
states thatthe English crown
will go to the Electors of Hanover,
throughSophia, granddaughter of James I,
after
Anne,daughter of James II had reigned.
September 16 James II dies in France
Beginning of the War of the Spanish Succession

1702Death of William
III,Anne Stuart takes the throne

1704 British capture Gibraltar
from Spain

1705 Newcomen's fire-engine

1707 May 1 Union of England and Scotland Establishes
theUnited Kingdom of Great
Britain.

1708 James Edward, the Pretender, lands in Scotland
his welcomeis lukewarm
and he returnsto
France
in the same year.
Abraham Darby takes lease of Coalbrookdale

1710Fall of
the Whig Ministry Tories cometo power - Harley ministry

1713 End of the War of the Spanish Succession Treaty of
Utrecht

1714 August 1 - Death of Anne Stuart, beginning of the
HanoverDynasty with George I, Elector of Hanover.

1715 September - Beginning of the Jacobite Rebellion in
Scotlandinitial successes, James Edward arrives from France
in December.

1716 Septennial Act no parliament can sit for longer
than sevenyears without an election
February - Jacobite rising defeated
JamesEdward returns to France.

1719 Spanish Expedition to Scotland Spanish fleet
sailing toScotland to put Stuarts back on the throne is scattered by a
storm anddoes not meet its objective.

1720 South Sea Bubble Many investors are ruined after
speculationin the stock of the South Sea Company
Wearing of pure cotton cloth prohibited

1721Walpole
ministry

1727 George I dies, George II becomes king
beginning of war with Spain

1875 British government buys controlling shares in Suez
Canal
Agricultural depression deepens due to new
grain supplies from Russia
and
the United
States entering the European market
for the first time.

1885Burma
annexed
Third Reform Act household franchise in
countiesSalisbury's
first Conservative government

1886Gladstone
becomes PM (Liberal Party)
First Home Rule Bill for Ireland
splits theLiberal Party
Gold found in Transvaal
Royal Niger Company chartered 1886 Conservatives return to
powerunder Salisbury

1887 British East Africa Company chartered

1889London
dock strike
Board of Agriculture instituted
British South Africa Company chartered

1892 Liberals return to power under Gladstone

1893 Second Home Rule Bill rejected by the House of
Lords
Independent Labor Party founded

1894Gladstone
resigns, Lord Rosebery becomes PM

1896Sudan
conquest begins

1897 Workmen's Compensation Act

1898Sudan
under British control Fashoda incident
German naval expansion begins

1899 May-June First Hague Peace Conference
Second Anglo-Boer war begins

1912 Failure of Anglo-German naval talks
First minimum wage laws for miners
Beginning of the Balkan war

1913 End of the Balkan war Peace of London

1914 Third Home Rule Act for Ireland
passed and suspended
March 20 - Curragh "Mutiny" Brigadier
GeneralHubert Gough resigns
rather thancarry
out orders that would have forced them to compell the population
of Ulster
toaccept Home Rule under the separatists of southern Ireland.
June 28 - Assassination of Archduke
Ferdinandat Sarajevo August 4 - British
Empire enters firstWorld War

1945 May 8 - End of second World War in Europe
August 15 - End of war in far East
Landslide Labor victory Clement Attlee becomes Prime Minister
Beginning of involvement in Greece
Beginning of troubles in Arabia Intermittent
frontier conflicts in Aden
and Arabian Protectorates.

1947India,
Pakistan,
and Burma
become independent
Pound convertibility crisis pound only able to
remain freely convertible with the US dollar for one month.
Coal and other industries nationalized
Treaty of Dunkirk: A 50 year Anglo-French
alliance, also including the Benelux countries.

1948 Beginning of the Berlin Blockade RAF units
participate.

1949 NATO founded
April 18 - Independence of Eire: Ireland
breaks off all ties with Great Britain
and becomes an
independent state.
devaluation of the pound

1950 March 29 - Churchill urges the rearmament of
Germany
Korean War begins